A GOOD APPETITE; Bringing the Breadbasket Back to Thanksgiving

By MELISSA CLARK

Published: November 12, 2008

A DECADE ago, the breadbasket was pushed off my family's Thanksgiving table. It was banished. Barred. Forbidden from showing its yeasty face.

''No one will miss it,'' my mother said optimistically.

My father had developed diabetes, and the refined white flour that had made up the backbone of his homemade crusty French baguettes and anadama bread wreaked havoc with his glucose levels.

Of all the breads he used to bake, I missed the molasses-rich anadama bread most. A New England staple of cornmeal mush and flour, it was moist and a little chewy, with a soft golden-brown crumb that begged for a copious slathering of butter.

My dad made much of the name, which supposedly refers to a fisherman cursing his wife's terrible cooking. My father told the story every year to any holiday newcomers, who gobbled slices even at the expense of another serving of my parents' crisp-skinned rosemary-garlic cured turkey.

This year, with my dad's diabetes under better control, anadama bread seemed due for a revival at Thanksgiving. I volunteered to play bread baker.

In honor of the breadbasket's triumphal return, I decided to bulk it up. Although one could argue that more carbohydrates are the last things a Thanksgiving meal needs, they're also in keeping with the holiday's spirit of excess.

There was only one hitch in my plan. Our family will be giving thanks for its newest member, my infant daughter, and baking several breads on the holiday to serve fresh is just not an option for me, the new mom. Any breadbasket would need to be flexible, with plenty of make-ahead options.

In Thanksgivings past, my dad would sometimes bake the anadama bread ahead, freeze it and then reheat it just before serving. This works perfectly well, though freshly baked bread is naturally better.

So what if I prepared the dough several days -- or even weeks -- ahead and froze it, then defrosted it overnight in the fridge and baked it that morning?

Freezing pizza dough is the secret weapon of many a savvy cook, and there's no reason it shouldn't work with anadama dough, too. Just to make sure, though, a test run was in order. While I was at it, I thought, I might as well bake the contents of the entire basket, just to make sure that come turkey day, there'd be no un-risen surprises.

In addition to the anadama bread, I was craving fluffy, buttery Parker House rolls with their cakelike crumb and soft golden tops. As a twist, I decided to make them with cranberry butter brushed between the layers to add color as well as a jammy, seasonal flavor.

Along with the anadama, I made the Parker House dough ahead, let it rise, then froze it. A few days later, I baked everything up. Both the rolls and anadama loaves came out buoyant, yeasty and magnificent, with no ill effects from the freezing.

To round out the breadbasket offerings, I chose two other baked goods that didn't need yeast. Both are based on recipes from An American Place, Larry Forgione's New York restaurant (now closed). I worked there in college and spent many hours hidden in the waiters' station, snacking on the contents of the bread warmer. What better inspiration for Thanksgiving than adapting Mr. Forgione's quintessentially American recipes?

To his ham, Cheddar and scallion biscuits, I added more butter, removed the cheese, and substituted salami for the country ham. And to his addictively crisp corn crackers, I measured in a hefty dose of black pepper to give them a kick.

Both of these recipes can also be made mostly ahead. And they bake so quickly I can pop them into the oven after the turkey comes out for its pre-carving resting period. Then I'll bring them to the table steaming hot and irresistible -- and celebrate the breadbasket's return.

Recipe: Anadama Bread Time: About 2 hours, plus 2 hours' rising

1/2 cup coarse yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup molasses

6 tablespoons butter, softened, more for greasing bowl

1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Oil for greasing.

1. In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal and 1 cup water. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring another cup of water to a boil. Add cornmeal mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the molasses and 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer mixture to bowl of an electric mixer and cool to tepid.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the yeast and 1/2 cup water until yeast has dissolved. Add to cornmeal and mix on low speed with dough-hook attachment for several seconds. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing for several seconds after each addition. Sprinkle in the salt and nutmeg, and continue mixing until dough completely comes away from sides of bowl, about 7 minutes.

3. Lightly butter a bowl. Form dough into a ball and place it in bowl. Oil a sheet of plastic wrap and loosely cover dough. Allow dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

4. Lightly grease 2 9-by-4-inch loaf pans. Press down dough and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece loosely into a loaf and place each in a pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until loaves have doubled.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until bread is a dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

6. Allow bread to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire cooling rack. Brush all over with remaining softened butter. Serve warm if possible.